I've got a couple of acres of almost pure NWC that is too dense and has
pretty much stopped growing. In the next few years, I hope to get a
woodmizer and then half the basal area in the grove.
What I am wondering about is the supposed regenerative powers of NWC. It
looks like the grove was cut (possibly clearcut) about 75 years ago as
almost all of the stems look like they have suckered off of old stumps. The
problem is, that the few that I have cut (and the ones cut by someone else
in a timber theft case) have not shown any signs of suckering whatever.
There are also no seedlings in the grove although there are plenty around
the outside edges of the grove where the woods is 50/50 hardwood/softwood.
My suspicion is that the lack of seedlings and suckers is probably due to
the lack of light from the very dense canopy. If this is so, is the best
way to manage NWC to clearcut it to trigger regeneration? (Not my favorite
form of harvesting...)
Paul